Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (second left) is joined by Samir Saran (third right), president of New Delhi-headquartered Observer Research Foundation, and others at the third Taiwan-India Dialogue Nov. 14 in Taipei City. (MOFA)
 

The third Taiwan-India Dialogue took place Nov. 14 in Taipei City, underscoring the two sides’ commitment to strengthening their partnerships, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Organized by Taipei-based Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation and New Delhi-headquartered Observer Research Foundation, the event was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang, TAEF chair Hsin-huang Michael Hsiao, ORF President Samir Saran and Manharsinh Yadav, director-general of the India Taipei Association.

In his opening remarks, Tien said Taiwan and India enjoy a growing relationship in areas spanning culture, economy, education, investment, technology and trade. Such strong ties are also evident in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent remarks mentioning Taiwan, as well as the signing of a memorandum of understanding on labor cooperation and the establishment of Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Mumbai, he noted, adding that next year marks the 30th anniversary of the mutual establishment of representative offices.

Tien said that the two democracies should work together to counter authoritarian expansion and called for the strengthening of trilateral cooperation among Taiwan, India and the U.S. He additionally urged the Indian government to resume direct flights between Taiwan and India while expanding collaboration across the board.

A day before the dialogue, the deputy minister hosted a luncheon for ORF President Samir Saran and other researchers in Taipei. He mentioned the growing cultural exchanges between the two partners, citing recent Diwali activities held by the MOFA and ITA, and talked about a plan proposed by President Lai Ching-te to encourage local youths to expand expertise in areas spanning biotechnology, geopolitics and quantum computing overseas.

Earlier the same day, Saran and his delegation were received by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim at the Presidential Office in Taipei. During the meeting Hsiao stressed the importance of deepening the Taiwan-India relationship based on shared goals in pursuing regional prosperity and stability. (YCH-E)